Entries in Atlantic City
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Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(TRENTON, N.J.) -- The lawyer for a New Jersey state trooper who was suspended for escorting a high-speed caravan of exotic cars to Atlantic City said Tuesday that such escorts "happen all the time."

Sgt. 1st Class Nadir Nassry, 47, and trooper Joseph Ventrella, 28, were suspended without pay on Monday while the New Jersey attorney general and state police investigate the March 30 incident.

Motorists who were caught in the whirlwind of the Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris said the "joyride" down the Garden State Parkway was dangerous for other drivers sharing the road.

"I had the great pleasure today of nearly being killed by not one, but two Lamborghinis travelling in excess of 110 mph in a NJSP escorted 'caravan' of approximately 30 exotic vehicles," motorist Wayne Gantt wrote in an emailed complaint to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. A copy of the complaints were provided to ABC News.

Many of the vehicles were weaving through all three lanes, Gantt wrote.

Motorist John Kennedy said it was "a very strange and unsafe situation that I could not comprehend the need."

Among those reportedly participating in the high-speed jaunt to Atlantic City was NFL star Brandon Jacobs, the New Jersey Star Ledger reported.

Charles Sciarra, who is the attorney for Nassry, said "other corporate types and a philanthropist" were also involved, but declined to name names while he was conducting his own investigation.

Sciarra said the drivers were heading to the gambling mecca because they were involved in a charity event. He did not provide any details on that event.

"These escorts happen all the time so the suggestion this was some uncommon event is a joke," Sciarra said.

The lawyer said Nassry is a 25-year veteran and that the story is "overblown."

"The suspension of my client, without pay, after a 25-year unblemished career without a full investigation is a public relations reaction," Sciarra said.

Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said his office was investigating the incident and would hand down "serious discipline" to those involved.

"We will not tolerate any conduct by a member of the State Police that puts the public in jeopardy, as this unauthorized caravan had the potential to do," Chiesa said.

Sciarra said the state's alleged widespread use of police escorts needed to be investigated, not just his client's case.

"Someone has to do an investigation. If the state police won't, I will," he said, noting that he has requested records. "Then we can have an honest discussion and evaluation of whether this [case] was handled correctly."

NASA/NOAA GOES(TRENTON, N.J.) -- More than one million people have left the New Jersey Shore in the last 24 hours to escape Hurricane Irene’s fury, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Saturday afternoon.

Traffic flowed smoothly with few residents refusing to evacuate. Atlantic County was 90 percent evacuated. Atlantic City remains the main concern as a high-rise building with nearly 600 residents—predominantly senior citizens—have refused to leave.

Ninety-five percent of Long Beach Island was vacated and 98 percent of Cape May County was vacated.

Storm tracking continues and 6 to 12 inches of rain are expected to pound the area Sunday along with high winds.

Jeff Fusco/Getty Images(ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.) -- Casino owners in Atlantic City, N.J., aren't gambling with Hurricane Irene. The 11 resort properties shut their doors for only the third time in the city's history, preparing not only to face the storm, but the casinos' biggest losses ever.

Trump, Caesars, Resorts, Tropicana, ACH and Golden Nugget are all voluntarily closing at 8 p.m. Friday, and all casinos must be closed by noon Saturday, according to a mandate by the governor's office. Atlantic County has also ordered the evacuation of the barrier island on which the casinos sit.

Performances including Frankie Valli, Donny Osmond, and Lynyrd Skynyrd have all been canceled for the weekend, and a spokeswoman for Caesars Entertainment said that poker chips, dice, and other loose materials will be safely secured in the shut-down.

Brian Cahill, a spokesman for Trump hotels and casinos, said that guests on the casino floor and in hotel rooms are being notified to leave the property as soon as possible, and employees will not have to report after 4 p.m. Friday. A small staff will remain at the hotel through the weekend to assist guests that cannot leave the hotel and to assist in the hotel's security plan, about which Cahill would not elaborate.

Lisa Spegler, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, said each casino has emergency plans that outline security measures for events like this, and that security will be a top priority for DGE this weekend. Inspectors and state police will remain in the city to ensure safety until a decision is made that they can no longer safely remain there, she said.

The casinos, which are typically open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, most recently closed down in 2006 during a budget impasse in the New Jersey government. The three-day shutdown put thousands of employees out of work, cost the casinos an estimated $16 million each day, and cost the state government an estimated $1.3 million a day in taxes, according to news reports from the time.

This weekend's shutdown could prove much worse for the casinos, Spegler said.

"During the budget shutdown, properties only had to close the casino floors. This will affect the whole city. This is really unprecedented, as to the magnitude of possible loss," Spegler said. Spegler added that many resorts voluntarily closed during Hurricane Gloria, in 1985, but the loss this weekend is expected to be more significant.

Photo Courtesy - Getty Images(ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.) -- The search for six amateur fishermen who failed to return from an overnight fishing trip off the coast of Atlantic City, N.J. over the weekend has ended with relief. The men were found alive Monday night after sending out a distress call.

Their 32-foot boat, called Black Magic, was located by Coast Guard search and rescue approximately 123 miles east of Atlantic City, N.J. Officials say the boat was apparently disabled.

David Umberger, a Coast Guard search and rescue controller, said the men were lucky, as the weather conditions had been ideal for the search. The boat is expected to be towed back to shore overnight.